Last April (2019), after John and I returned from a two-month winter trip in our Airstream, we made a strong intention to simplify our lives.
We discovered that we were actually happier living with less stuff. Our 19-foot-Airstream has only 125-square-feet of floor space!
We had more time and space for what matters – spending time together, going on adventures and visiting people we enjoy.
Here’s why simplifying your life is important:
Everything in your life takes up space. Whether it’s mental space, physical space, or calendar space, you only have so much room.
Everything you own, everything you do, and everyone you spend time with costs you something. And when you have an abundance of stuff, it costs you a lot.
Simplifying your life will give you more time, space, and energy. The more space you have, the freer you’ll be to truly enjoy everything. Here are five ways to simplify every area of your life.
It takes energy to maintain things and that kind of energy can be draining.
John and I talked about the big items we could sell in 2019 and made a list.
1. We’ve had our cabin in the mountains on the market for five years. I focused on doing everything I could to help it sell so that new owners could find it. In September, we sold our cabin to the perfect couple who would love it as much as we did. I’ll share how I did that in a blog in 2020.
2. I sold my car because it was going to need more maintenance. I was ready to let it go. I want you to know that this was something I said I would never do. However I feel like John and I are doing a good thing for the planet in releasing this car’s carbon footprint. This is freedom people! We now share our white BMW X5 (it pulls our Airstream Bambi).
3. We sold John’s 19’ fishing boat. This was before we sold the cabin and it felt like a necessary step to let the cabin sell and it worked!
4. We’re still in the process of selling extra suitcases, hiking and backpacking gear, plus stuff we’ve accumulated and no longer need. We’re primarily using Craigslist to sell things.
We’re following Marie Kondo and keeping things that bring us joy or that we use and need.
I’ve spent 40+ years accumulating material goods.
It’s so freeing to get rid of things and to realize that less is more.
We’re committed to living our values.
A near-fatal car accident will do that to you!
If you want to feel more freedom in your life, get rid of stuff!
Here are five ways to simplify your life:
1. Declutter your home
Notice your energy when you’re at home. If you feel drained and overwhelmed by stuff everywhere, then now is the your time to declutter. Your environment affects how you feel physically and psychologically. Whether you waste time looking for misplaced items, or you grow overwhelmed every time you open your closet, having too much stuff wastes your resources.
A clean, organized space helps you feel more productive and energetic than when you’re living among stacks of papers, piles of dishes or clothes strewn about.
When you have fewer items to worry about, you’ll feel lighter. You’ll also have energy to care for the items that you keep. Start decluttering one room at a time, and see for yourself how much better you feel when you get rid of things you don’t need.
The way to manifest something you do want, is to clean out space for the Universe to fill.
2. Get rid of mental clutter – Get rid of negative mental habits that aren’t good for you. If you feel bad about a negative habit or an addiction (food, shopping, alcohol or social media), then know that these carry a lot of psychological weight.
Negative mental habits carry a lot of psychological weight. Feeling sorry for yourself, dwelling on the past, and giving away your power are just a few of the unhealthy habits that will drain your mental strength.
Make space for healthier thinking habits — like gratitude, self-compassion, and realistic self-talk.
When you catch yourself engaging in negative thoughts, take a deep breath, and change it to a better feeling thought.
Remember: You are not your thoughts! All that negative chatter comes from your ego – your language center. You are the one (higher self) that observes your thoughts. When you think negative thoughts about yourself: notice, breathe and observe. Let the thought go or change it to a better feeling thought.
3. Take control of your money – do you avoid looking at your finances? Is your financial area in your home a mess and cluttered? What about your financial files – are they up to date? For many women, this is one area where we tend to tolerate not being informed. The more you show the Universe that you’re a good steward of your money, the more money will come to you.
4. Cut out people that drain your energy. Sometimes relationships come to a natural end as you grow and change. Your path may be going in a different direction from someone in your life. Lead with love, compassion and understanding.
What I mean by this is either let someone go or make an effort to spend less time around them if possible. Your energy will always be a clue whether you’re experiencing an energy drain or an energy gain.
Whether you have a friend who finds a problem for every solution or a cousin who calls every day to complain about how unfair the world is, negative people can take up a lot of space in your life.
Setting healthy boundaries is important. Notice what your energy drains and gains are with people, things and your work. Move towards your energy gains and declutter the things and people in your life that drain you.
We all have so many commitments and lists of things that need to be done. Yet much of what we spend our time on is not our top value.
Now over to you. Are you decluttering? I’d love to hear from you.
Related Posts:
Clear Clutter to Manifest Prosperity
4 Steps to Clear Mental Clutter